[Early Morning---Locked to Shane] Searching

[sensethevisions]

The nightmares had woken her up far too early for it to be natural and she had lay in bed for a little while, then got up, careful not to disturb Cole.

She got dressed and slipped out for a walk into town.

Comments

6:40am

[brambless.livejournal.com]

Fear. Not just fear. Abject terror. Coming from over there, to the left, in the alley behind the dumpster.

[ooc: note for those reading: the only people Tara bumps into in this condition are those whose players have given specific consent.]

Re: 6:40am

[sensethevisions]

Phoebe's head jerked up and she stiffened.

Terror.

She could only feel the emotions of someone she was close to, so she took off in a sprint to the alley. When she got to the alleyway entrance, she stopped and entered the alley very calmly and slowly.

Re: 6:40am

[brambless.livejournal.com]

Tara sits against the dumpster, a dark purple bruise on her neck, face and arms covered with red scratches, some of which are bleeding. Her skirt is wet and torn, rust-coloured fabric stained a darker brown. She is surrounded by refuse, the odds and ends of broken garbage bags that inevitably spill out of dumpsters.

She rocks herself back and forwards, completely silent but shaking with fear. Her hands claw at her face and chest, obviously the source of more than half of the scratches.

Re: 6:40am

[sensethevisions]

Oh God, Tara!

Phoebe slows her pace even more and carefully approaches Tara.

"Tara, sweetie?" Her voice is calm and soothing.

Re: 6:40am

[brambless.livejournal.com]

"No," Tara shakes her head, looking up at Phoebe angrily. "You can't. Prying poking fingers, you can't have that piece!"

Seizing a banana peel she puts it on her head, its browned skin splayed haphazardly over her hair. "Can't! Got my tin foil hat!"

Re: 6:40am

[sensethevisions]

Phoebe was silent for a moment as she sat in front of Tara. Finally, she unwrapped her scarf and held it out to Tara.

"The scarf works better than the hat, Tara," she said gently. "More material."

Re: 6:40am

[brambless.livejournal.com]

Tara takes the scarf, hand snatching out to grab it and retreating again, eyeing Phoebe suspiciously. She clutches it to her chest, hands running along the fabric before rubbing it along her cheek.

"Soft," she whispers.

"Willow?"

Re: 6:40am

[sensethevisions]

"It's protected me from a lot."

Phoebe smiled faintly and then shook her head slowly.

"No, Tara, not Willow. It's Phoebe."

Re: 6:40am

[brambless.livejournal.com]

"Phoebe? Phoebos. Fear." Tara wraps the scarf over her head, flattening the banana peel into her hair and winding her hands around the ends, clutching tightly.

"Clean it up, rabbit. Dirty girl. Lick it clean now. Don't make me tell you twice."

Re: 6:40am

[sensethevisions]

Phoebe slowly began moving around Tara, clearing away some of the debris and making it clean for her friend. Right about now she wished she had telepath instead of empathy so she could summon help.

After she got it as clean as she could, she returned to sit in front of Tara.

"I can't lick it up, Tara, that would interfere with how my tongue works," she said softly.

Re: 6:40am

[brambless.livejournal.com]

Tara looks at Phoebe as she cleans, confused. This wasn't how the script went.

"I'll be good," she says. "Do my chores. Black and blue and pretty colours, can I see the stars?"

Re: 6:40am

[sensethevisions]

Black and blue...chores...be good...

Phoebe swallowed her bile. Someone had beaten her friend at some time in her life.

"The stars are sleeping right now, love," Phoebe said soothingly. "We can see them when they wake up. I promise."

Re: 6:40am

[brambless.livejournal.com]

Tara cocks her head at Phoebe, her terror waning.

"Mommy?"

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

As soon as she'd gotten Maia's message, Shane had thrown on her clothes and started searching. The park, where Maia had said she'd lost sight of Tara, Mr. Phale's shop, the Perk - she went as far as the road leading up to the school gates before she turned back.

As she'd been on her way back, she'd gotten the voicemail (http://www.livejournal.com/users/shane_mcc/477.html?thread=382941#t382941) from Phoebe, telling her they were at Deb's. In her sleep-clouded mind, running on pure adrenaline and no caffeine whatsoever, she had never even considered Deb's as a possible hideout.

[brambless.livejournal.com]

Seeing Shane at the entry to the alleyway, Tara pulls herself out of Phoebe's arms and barrels straight into Shane's arms, shaking. "Lost you, lost you, lost you. Spilled the chocolate. I'm sorry."

[sensethevisions]

Phoebe stays kneeling for a few moments and then gets to her feet.

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

"Baby," Shane sighs, wrapping her arms around Tara and hanging on tight. Somehow, somewhere - Crowley had gotten to her again - she knew it. And the thought that she hadn't been able to stop it felt like a lead weight in her stomach. "It's okay. I'm here, Tara. We'll get more chocolate."

Looking up, she sees a young woman standing in the alleyway. Must be Phoebe. "Thank you," she says quietly.

[brambless.livejournal.com]

"Her boyfriend eats hearts," Tara tells her. "She watches. Not mine, though. She promised."

[sensethevisions]

Phoebe smiles. "I'd do anything for her. She's a precious friend." She walks forward. "I was coming to look for you when I found Tara."

She touched her stinging cheek lightly and then shook her head. "No he doesn't."

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

"No," Shane says gently, reaching up to cradle Tara's face in both of her hands, gazing steadily into her eyes. "They can't have yours. You gave it to me. Remember?"

Looking up at Phoebe, she noticed the red mark on her face. "I -- I'm so sorry," she murmurs, giving her a chagrined look. "Can you... can you tell me what happened?"

[brambless.livejournal.com]

Tara nods, ghosting her hand over Shane's chest. "Locked it in the fleshy box, all safe and warm. No pins for the voodoo doll."

She follows Shane's gaze to Phoebe's face, and turns desperately contrite eyes to Shane. "Sorry. Sorry sorry sorry. Wouldn't go, wouldn't run. Had to make her. Bad girl."

[sensethevisions]

"I think someone has messed with her. She was terrified when I found her. I would have called you sooner, but I was so focused on calming her down so I could help." Phoebe shakes her head. "This? She was trying to get me to run because she was afraid someone would be coming to hurt me." Phoebe smiles at Tara. "So, she tried to make me run."

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

"Right," Shane says, offering Tara a warm smile as she takes her hand and places it over her heart, even though it's shattering in her chest, seeing Tara like this. "It's safe. You're safe, now, too."

"Shhh, shhh, it's okay, Tara," she murmurs, drawing her into her arms again and gently stroking her hair as she listens to Phoebe's explanation, her eyes dark and determined but also impossibly weary. "Phoebe's not mad at you, baby. I'm not mad at you."

Looking up at Phoebe, her expression is resolved, her eyes filled with gratitude as she meets Phoebe's eyes. "Thank you for this," she says again softly. "I... I think I know who did it."

[sensethevisions]

"I could never be mad at Tara. Plus, she was trying to protect me." Phoebe tilts her head. "Who...because I think they may have laid the whammy on my boyfriend the other night."

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

"I know that," Shane says quietly, offering her a small smile. "And you know that... I just wanna make sure she knows that."

Taking a deep breath, she lets it out in a ragged sigh. "There's a -- he's not a guy... I don't know what he is... he's a friend of Mr. Phale's. He's been fucking with her head. He told her she was his new project and he was gonna do anything he could to..."

Shane purses her lips into a thin, white line as her voice breaks, eyes becoming fiercely bright with tears as she holds Tara even more tightly.

"... anything he could to -- to break her," she finishes very softly.